The Sleeping Room
by EikoChitose
Summary: Axel was getting pretty annoyed, at this point... Bits of Zemyx fluff, hints of Akuroku, and odd pairings only if you tilt your head and squint. Rated, just for safety's sake.


This is my first fic that I've posted on here, and I hope that whoever reads it, enjoys it! I had to repost the damned thing, because it was being a butthead, but thank you for the two reviews I had gotten so far, they made my day!! This came to me one night, and I couldn't go to sleep until I wrote it all down.

Made to be a bit of Zemyx fluff, with a tad of Akuroku, if you squint. Or maybe I just notice because that's how I was thinking when I wrote it. Odd pairings only if you're really looking for them. With a microscope.

Warnings: A bit of language, not much else.

Demyx was sitting on a floor pillow, innocently plucking on his sitar strings when the door banged open. He jumped, clutching his instrument to his chest. "I-I'm sorry! I'm going to bed, right now!" He blinked at the Nobody standing in the doorway. "Oh! Zexion!"

The slate-haired man stared at him with glassy eyes, unresponsive. He looked even paler than usual, as well as bed-raggled.

Demyx slowly lowered his sitar. "Zexion? You're not looking so hot... You're still sick, huh?"

Still, Zexion said nothing.

"Did I wake you up? I know it's late, sorry. I didn't think I was that loud -- Axel hasn't barged in yet. I'll stop, if you want."

"You did not wake me, Nine," Zexion finally said. His usually smooth voice was rough and his nose sounded stuffed. "I couldn't sleep."

"Oh... Well... Would you like to come in?" He grinned weakly, unsure of what to do. He couldn't exactly order a superior to bed, now could he?

The haggard young man nodded and shuffled into the room, shutting the door behind him. Demyx could almost find the situation fascinating: there were so few chances he got to see Zexion out of his black coat. If anything, he was disappointed that his pajamas weren't more exciting. As it was, they were simple blue cotton pants and a matching shirt.

Zexion stumbled hazily to Demyx's bed, flopping down on it uncharacteristically.

Demyx watched, a little worried. "Zexy...?"

The older man rolled his head to face Demyx. "Nine, stop calling me that." His eyes were hard, but it was softened when his face was flushed and he was starting to shiver.

"Only if you stop calling me Nine," Demyx said stubbornly. He took a softer note. "Zex, you sure you don't have a fever? And you're shaking."

"I'm feeling a little chilled, actually," Zexion said, tucking his arms underneath him.

"You're bright red. Maybe you should go see Vex--"

"Everyone else is already asleep," the Schemer interrupted.

"So why'd you come here?" Demyx took up his sitar again, playing softly.

"You were awake," Zexion mumbled, barely coherent. "And as I said, I couldn't sleep."

"With a fever, I can imagine," the Nocturne chuckled softly. "Seriously, Zexy, how'd you even manage to get here? I'm surprised you could stand."

"Hmm," the other responded. He didn't look like was going to move any time soon.

"Hey, Zexion... Are you gonna sleep in here?"

"Ah... I don't know. I hadn't planned on it, but... I don't... think I can move." Zexion seemed embarrassed beneath his fevered flush.

Demyx sighed, smiling at him. "Don't worry about it, you can stay." He paused in his music and stood, walking to the bed. "Here, get under the blankets, you'll feel better."

It took a long ten minutes of slow and patient coaxing to get Zexion to let Demyx tuck him into bed.

The Cloaked Schemer glared at him, but pulled up the blue covers anyway.

Demyx, satisfied, sat himself back down and began playing a new song. It was quiet and gentle, swirling around through the room, encircling them like a warm, comfortable blanket.

Zexion's eyes drooped. "What is that, Nine?"

Demyx ignored him.

"Nine?"

Silence.

Zexion huffed. If possible, his face turned even redder. "Demyx."

"Yes, Zexion?" his companion replied, voice lilting with the melody. Zexion wondered if it was his imagination, or was Demyx almost smirking?

"What is this? That you're playing."

Demyx smiled softly. "A lullaby. My mother, I think, used to sing it to me when I was little. I wrote it when I first got here because it reminded me of when I had a heart."

"Oh." The slate-haired man burrowed deeper under the covers to hide a shiver.

"Do you like it?"

"Ah..." There was a pause. "It's very nice."

The sitar player could tell that was the best he would get from the quiet man, so he basked in the compliment and kept playing until he was sure Zexion had fallen asleep. Even then, he played on, until he hit the last note and put his sitar aside. He watched Zexion sleep for a minute before something dawned on him. Where was he supposed to sleep?

He didn't know if Zexion was contagious or not -- he hadn't been quarantined, and he'd still been down in the labs until Vexen kicked him out for sneezing. But still... Demyx felt his face redden. He couldn't sleep in the same bed as Zexion! The Schemer would kill him, and he couldn't... couldn't... Just _couldn't_!

So he did the first thing he could think of to escape (run, run away!): he ran to Axel's room.

Axel had been sleeping very well that night. Demyx was still up playing when he went to bed, but it was faint and hardly noticeable. In fact, as he fell asleep, it had been comforting.

And then his door opened and someone was shaking his shoulder. "Axel? Axel, are you awake?"

"Do I seem awake to you?" Axel groaned. He opened an eye to see who he was about to incinerate. Or not. It was Demyx, and Kingdom Hearts knew how hard _he_was to light on fire -- Axel'd tried. "Demyx, what the hell do you want?"

"W-well, I, ah... Can I sleep with you?"

Axel opened his other eye to look at Demyx speculatively. "Dem, I'm flattered, and thanks for the offer, but I'm not really in the mood, and besides, I thought you had it bad for Zexion. What'd he do, reject you?"

"No! And that's not what I meant!" Demyx turned bright red in the pale light from the window. "Ah, um, Zexion's still sick, and he couldn't sleep -- long story short, he's in my bed and I need somewhere to sleep."

"It's called the ground, got it memorized?" Axel grunted, about to roll over and pull the cover over his head.

Demyx stopped him, grabbing his arm. "Please, Axel?" he begged, eyes widening innocently.

Axel sighed, picking the covers up. "Okay, but I'm not wearing a shirt."

"Don't care!" Demyx chirped, snuggling up to his friend. He was like a warm, cozy furnace -- that didn't burn him.

The redhead sighed again, draping his arm over Demyx, and though he'd never admit he loved cuddling, he smiled and scooched a little closer for some much needed sleep.

It didn't last long.

Roxas woke up sweating. He'd had a nightmare, none of which he remembered, except that now there was adrenalin pumping through him and he was too afraid to go back to sleep. He hated this and wondered vaguely if his other was this childishly vulnerable. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he went off in search of comfort.

"Axel. Axel, wake the hell up. Axel -- is that Demyx? What the hell?"

The Flurry's eyes shot open and someone yelped, ducking when a ball of fire flew over his head.

"What the _fuck_, Axel?!"

"Huh? Roxas?"

"Roxas?" Demyx repeated groggily. He raised his head a little and squinted. "Izzat you, Roxy?"

The small teen looked livid, in both senses of the word. He was pissed, but pale and shaking. There were dark circles under his eyes.

"What are you doing here, Roxas?" Axel asked. Usually, he'd be elated, but he'd already had one too many interruptions in his sleep. "Why --"

"Have a bad dream?" Demyx cut in softly.

Roxas nodded. "You weren't in your room --but for some reason Zexion was, you'll have to explain that. But... you weren't there, so I thought I'd go to... Axel, instead."

"Well, you came to the right place! Hop in!" Axel threw back the blankets, ignoring Demyx's whine at the exposure to the colder air.

Roxas climbed over Demyx, sandwiching himself in between the Nocturne and the Flurry. Compared to the rest of the room, it was like a miniature oven.

"-- kinda hurt, you barely ever come to me for nightmares," Axel was whining.

"Yeah, well," Roxas huffed as Demyx threw his arm around both of his bed-mates, "he doesn't tease me about it."

"I wouldn't--"

"You would. Used to do it to me all the time," Demyx mumbled, half asleep.

Axel grumped once more before pulling Roxas closer and Demyx with him.

Roxas sighed, enjoying the heater on his left and the gentle presence of Demyx on his right, keeping them all in the bed. Finally, he was sure he'd be able to sleep.

Axel was getting pretty annoyed. As if three wasn't bad enough, four shortly joined them.

It was accompanied by two slamming doors and a cold glare that forced him awake, Demyx and Roxas along with him.

"What. The. Fuck?" Axel groaned. When would this end?

"Zexy?" Demyx croaked.

The pale man was glaring down at them accusingly.

"Zexion? What's wrong?" Demyx's voice was laced with worry. If he wasn't so tired, he might have sat up, or jumped out bed. As it was, he did neither.

Roxas was watching confusedly while Axel was muttering curses under his breath.

Without warning, Zexion violently threw back Axel's covers, crawling over Demyx and shoving Roxas into Axel, who incidentally got rammed against the wall (no one likes to sleep against the wall). He then pulled the covers back over them, snuggling into Demyx's chest.

If he had a heart, it would've been pounding, and Demyx looked over Zexion's head helplessly, at Roxas and Axel.

Axel looked annoyed, but resigned. "My bed isn't meant for four people..." He sighed and curled against Roxas protectively, trying to go back to sleep.

Roxas lay with his back to Axel, facing Zexion's back, and looking at Demyx, bewildered. "Z-- Six, aren't you... sick?"

"Don't care," Zexion grunted. He did not, as he so eloquently stated, care if he got them sick. He wasn't moving. He'd been left alone, but they were _not_ escaping, not this time! He wondered if he was delusional.

Roxas thought he was delusional, but said nothing. Instead, he snuggled back against Axel and pushed his face into Zexion's hair -- he smelled a little sick, but mostly like soap and lavender. It was nice.

Demyx was embarrassed but at the same time, pleased. He felt bad for leaving the others out, but he couldn't help but to draw Zexion closer.

Zexion was going to kill him when his fever broke, for sure, and oh, the shit they were going to get for this if anyone found them. But for now... For now, Demyx was _happy_. Nonexistent emotions be damned.


End file.
